Solar powered bird feeder

ABSTRACT

A bird feeder having a rechargeable electrical power source and a solar energy system that collects solar energy, converts it into electrical energy, and uses the electrical energy to recharge the rechargeable electrical power source is disclosed. The rechargeable electrical power source can be used to power a wide variety of electrical devices, such as microphones, radio receivers or transmitters, cameras, audio recording and playback devices, video recording and playback devices, loud speakers, lighting elements, timing devices, remote controls, motors, etc.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/372,267, filed 11 Apr. 2002, titled “Solar Powered Bird Feeder”, andis a Continuation of Ser. No. 10/847,973, filed May 18, 2004 now U.S.Pat. No. 6,901,882 which is a continuation of Ser. No. 10/411,565, filedApr. 10, 2005 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,830,009.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to bird feeders. In particular, thepresent invention relates to bird feeders having electrical powersources.

2. Description of Related Art

Solar energy systems that collect solar energy and convert it intoelectrical energy have been around for many years. However, onlyrecently have these solar energy systems been developed to the pointwhere they are small enough, efficient enough, and economical enough, toallow their widespread use in small electrical devices. One use of thesesmall solar energy systems is to recharge rechargeable batteries insmall household devices.

One example of a small household electrical device with rechargeablebatteries that can be recharged by one of these small solar energysystems is an outdoor landscaping lighting system. The rechargeablebatteries provide power to illuminate the lighting elements duringdarkness, and the solar energy system collects and converts solar energyand recharges the rechargeable batteries during daylight.

Although the use of small solar energy systems in outdoor landscapinglighting systems represents great strides in the development and use ofsolar energy systems, there is a need for these miniaturized solarenergy systems in other small electrical household devices.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There is a need for solar powered bird feeder.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a solarpowered bird feeder.

This object is achieved by providing a bird feeder having a rechargeableelectrical power source and a solar energy system that collects solarenergy, converts it into electrical energy, and uses the electricalenergy to recharge the rechargeable electrical power source. Therechargeable electrical power source can be used to power lights,radios, cameras, and a wide variety of other electrical devices operablyassociated with the bird feeder.

The solar powered bird feeder according to the present inventionprovides significant advantages, including: (1) the rechargeableelectrical power source can be recharged by the solar energy system; (2)the rechargeable electrical power source can provide power to a widevariety of electrical devices operably associated with the bird feeder;and (3) the lighting elements allow the bird feeder to be viewed andenjoyed at night. Other objects and advantages of the present inventionwill be evident from the following detailed description of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a is a perspective view of the solar powered bird feederaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the solar powered bird feeder of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a right side view of the solar powered bird feeder of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the solar powered bird feeder of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a left side view of the solar powered bird feeder of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the solar powered bird feeder of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the solar powered bird feeder of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is an exploded longitudinal cross-sectional view of the solarpowered bird feeder of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Although the present invention will be described herein with referenceto a bird feeder having a particular configuration, it should beunderstood that the methods and apparatuses of the present invention canbe used on bird feeders and bird houses of almost any shape or design,as well as on other small animal feeders and houses. Thus, it will beappreciated that the rechargeable electrical power source and solarrecharging system of the present invention is well suited for use on anydecorative outdoor accessory.

Referring to FIGS. 1–8 in the drawings, the preferred embodiment of asolar powered bird feeder 11 according to the present invention isillustrated. Bird feeder 11 is adapted to be hung on a stand 13, in atree, on a hanging bracket, from a rope or cable, or by any of a widevariety of conventional hanging means. Stand 13 is shown in dashed linesto indicated that stand 13 may be of any suitable design.

In the preferred embodiment, bird feeder 11 has a hanging means 15, anupper cap member 17, an upper canopy 19, a main canopy 21, a foodreservoir 23, a perch 25, a lower portion 27, and a lower finial 29.Hanging means 15, upper cap member 17, upper canopy 19, main canopy 21,food reservoir 23, perch 25, lower portion 27, and lower finial 29 arecoupled together by a rod 31 (see FIG. 8) that passes along a centrallongitudinal axis 33 of bird feeder 11 and that is releasably connectedto lower finial 29 and upper cap member 17. It should be understood thatrod 31 may also be a chain, wire, cable, or any other type of connectingmeans which aids in holding the components of bird feeder 11 together.

Upper cap member 17, upper canopy 19, main canopy 21, perch 25, lowerportion 27, and lower finial 29 are preferably made of a suitablematerial that is treated, finished, and/or coated to prevent rust, wear,and exposure to the environment. It should be understood that hangingmeans 15, upper cap member 17, upper canopy 19, and main canopy 21 maybe integrally combined into one or more component parts, depending ontheir shape, the application in which they are used, or the ornamentaldesign that they are intended to represent. For example, thesecomponents may include embossed figurines or cut-out shapes that enhancethe appearance or motif of bird feeder 11.

Food reservoir 23 includes at least one outlet port 32 through whichbirds may gather the bird food. Outlet ports 32 may be located on foodreservoir 23 at various locations and heights, such as at low locationsnear perch 25 or high locations near main canopy 21. Outlet ports 32 mayalso include flanges (not shown) that extend into or out of foodreservoir 23 to prevent the bird food from spilling out of outlet ports32 unnecessarily. Bird feeder 11 may also include additional perchesthat extend outwardly from food reservoir 23 for birds to use whilegathering the bird food. Such additional perches are particularly usefulfor outlet ports 32 that are located well above perch 25.

Food reservoir 23 may include a liner portion 23 a, preferably made oftransparent glass or plastic, and a decorative lattice portion 23 b,preferably made of a suitable material that is treated, finished, and/orcoated to prevent rust, wear, and exposure to the bird food or theenvironment. Liner portion 23 a may be beveled, etched, colored, tinted,or otherwise treated, depending upon the effect desired. For example,food reservoir 23 may be formed from leaded glass or stained glasshaving a decorative appearance or motif. Furthermore, it should beunderstood that the liner portion 23 a and lattice portion 23 b may beintegrally combined to form a single component. For instances in whichliner portion 23 a and lattice portion 23 b are separate components, itwill be appreciated that lattice portion 23 b may be disposed on eitherthe inside or the outside of liner portion 23 a.

A food access port 28 is disposed in main canopy 21 to allow a user tofill food reservoir 23 with bird food without disassembling bird feeder11. Food access port 28 is preferably covered by a cap 30 (see FIGS. 4and 8) to protect the bird food in food reservoir 23 from the weather.Cap 30 may be attached to bird feeder 11 by a wide variety of attachmentmeans. It should be understood that food access port 28 may be locatedin several locations on bird feeder 11, depending upon the applicationin which bird feeder 11 is used, and the effect that is desired.

A rechargeable electrical power source 41 is operably associated withbird feeder 11 to provide electrical power to bird feeder 11. In thepreferred embodiment, rechargeable electrical power source 41 isdisposed within upper canopy 19. It will be appreciated thatrechargeable electrical power source 41 may also be disposed in othercomponents of bird feeder 11, such as perch 25 or lower portion 27, andmay be disposed in multiple components of bird feeder 11. Rechargeableelectrical power source 41 is preferably two 1.2 Volt rechargeable AANiCd batteries providing about 600 milliamps of current, but may be anyof a wide variety of rechargeable batteries. An electrical chargingsystem 43 (see FIG. 8) is conductively coupled to rechargeableelectrical power source 41. Electrical charging system 43 may include anelectrical access port (not shown) to receive an adapter or transformer(not shown) that allows rechargeable electrical power source 41 to berecharged by a conventional AC power source, such as an AC wall outlet.It will be understood that rechargeable electrical power source 41 maybe used to power a wide variety of electrical devices, such asmicrophones, radio receivers or transmitters, cameras, audio recordingand playback devices, video recording and playback devices, loudspeakers, lighting elements, timing devices, remote controls, motors,etc.

At least one conventional solar collector 45 is operably associated withbird feeder 11 to collect solar energy. In the preferred embodiment, atleast one solar collector 45 is disposed on the upper surface of uppercanopy 19. Solar collectors 45 either include or are conductivelycoupled to a conventional solar energy conversion system 47 thatconverts the solar energy to electrical energy. Electrical chargingsystem 43 uses the electrical energy from the solar energy conversionsystem 47 or the AC power outlet to recharge rechargeable electricalpower source 41. An optional photoresistor 49 disposed on the uppersurface of upper canopy 19 is conductively coupled to rechargeableelectrical power source 41 to detect the amount of light hitting birdfeeder 11 and to provide a corresponding electrical signal that can beused to determine whether power is supplied to certain electricalcomponents.

In the preferred embodiment, the electrical power from rechargeableelectrical power source 41 is used to illuminate at least one lightingelement 51. It is preferred that lighting element 51 be positioned tocast light on and/or through food reservoir 23, perch 25, and as manyother components of bird feeder 11 as possible. In the preferredembodiment, lighting elements 51 are disposed beneath main canopy 19.Lighting elements 51 preferably illuminate food reservoir 23 and perch25 in a decorative fashion. Thus, it will be appreciated that theconfiguration and choice of materials for food reservoir 23 may producea distinctive effect on the appearance of bird feeder 11 while beingilluminated by lighting elements 51. In the preferred embodiment,lighting elements 51 comprise one or more LED's. It should be understoodthat lighting elements may also be fluorescent lighting elements, coldcathode ray tube lighting elements, and/or any other suitable lightingelements.

In the preferred embodiment, lighting elements 51 are carried by analignment disk 53. Alignment disk 53 is disposed between main canopy 21and food reservoir 23. It should be understood that alignment disk 53may be integral with either main canopy 21 or food reservoir 23, or bothmain canopy 21 and food reservoir 23. Alignment disk 53 includes aplurality of tabs 55 which provide spacing and a means of attachingalignment disk 53 to main canopy 21. Alignment disk 53 may include anannular flange 56 that extends downward from a central aperture 58.Flange 56 preferably has an outside diameter that is slightly smallerthat the inside diameter of food reservoir 23, such that flange 56 mayprotrude slightly into the interior of food reservoir 23. This alignsand centers food reservoir 23 about axis 33. It should be understoodthat the functions of alignment disk 53 may be achieved by other means,such as tabs, spacers, posts, or clips coupled to main canopy 19.Alignment disk 53, or its functional equivalent, may include conduits orclips for aligning and/or holding and protecting any electrical wiringthat is necessary for any electrical components that are operable onbird feeder 11.

An optional on/off switch 61 may be disposed on bird feeder 11 andconductively coupled to rechargeable electrical power source 41 toprovide a means to manually activate and deactivate the power fromrechargeable electrical power source 41, the power to lighting elements51, and/or any other electrical components that may be operablyassociated with bird feeder 11. On/Off switch 61 is preferably disposedbeneath main canopy 21 on alignment disk 53. In the preferredembodiment, on/off switch 61 overrides the switching functions ofphotoresistor 49. It should be understood that one or more on/offswitches 61 and their corresponding control circuitry may be utilized tocontrol the various electrical components on bird feeder 11.

It will be appreciated that an invention with significant advantages hasbeen described. Although the present invention is shown in a limitednumber of forms, it is not limited to just these forms, but is amenableto various changes and modifications without departing from the spiritthereof.

1. A bird feeder, comprising: a canopy portion; a perch portionpositioned below the canopy portion when the bird feeder is in anupright position; a rechargeable electrical power source; a solar energysystem conductively coupled to an electrical charging system forcollecting solar energy, converting the solar energy into electricalenergy, and transferring the electrical energy to the electricalcharging system; and an LED lighting subsystem carried by said birdfeeder and electrically coupled to said rechargeable electrical powersource for receiving electrical energy therefrom and for illuminatingsaid perch portion from a position above said perch portion while thebird feeder is in an upright position so that said perch portion isvisible in low light conditions.
 2. A bird feeder according to claim 1,wherein said solar energy system is carried by said canopy portion.
 3. Abird feeder according to claim 1, further comprising: a mechanicalsubsystem for releasably connecting together the canopy portion and theperch portion.
 4. A bird feeder according to claim 1, furthercomprising: an electrical charging system conductively couple to therechargeable electrical power source for recharging the rechargeableelectrical power source.
 5. The bird feeder according to claim 1,further comprising: a photoresistor conductively coupled to therechargeable electrical power source for activating and deactivating therechargeable electrical power source depending upon the amount of lighthitting the photoresistor.